


you know the one where we'll all live happily

by manycoloureddays



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Getting Together, Multi, Post-IT Chapter Two (2019)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:21:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25051603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/manycoloureddays/pseuds/manycoloureddays
Summary: It hurt a little. Watching Stan with Patty.Not that it had any right to hurt. Not that he hadn’t known for nearly twenty years that Stan was married.
Relationships: Mike Hanlon/Patricia Blum Uris/Stanley Uris, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 33





	you know the one where we'll all live happily

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kaspbee (fillory)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fillory/gifts).



> for bee, on the occasion of their birthday and because they are just as into mikestanpat as i am.
> 
> title from coin laundry by lisa mitchell, which is not only a great ot3 song, but is also great mike/mikestanpat song.
> 
> unbeta'd because i like to fall on my own sword

It hurt a little. Watching Stan with Patty. 

Not that it had any right to hurt. Not that he hadn’t known for nearly twenty years that Stan was married. And happily too. Not married the way Eddie was married, unsmiling in tagged Facebook photos. Not even in the way Bill was married, where the tension was mostly created by the media circus, and Mike knew the dopey look on Bill’s face in paparazzi shots was more sincere than most people thought. 

Stan and Patty were married in the way Mike’s parents were married. More in love than most people outside of stories. Looking at each other with so much love it almost felt wrong to look at the holiday photos they posted online, like he was intruding on something private. So in love they could barely wait to graduate college before they got married. And without even needing to, much to the chagrin of the Derry gossip mill when Mrs Uris’ sister primly reported the lack of baby news six months later. 

It had hurt back then too, when Barbara Keller from the post office had pulled him aside and said how nice it was that Donald and Andrea’s boy had found someone to settle down with, “a bit young for these days of course, but twenty one wasn’t unheard of that long ago, and he was always such a polite young man, do you hear from him much? Never saw one of you without the other for a few years there, and the rest of that gang of yours. Well, if you do speak to him, pass on our good wishes, won’t you, Michael”. 

Mike had gone home and stared long and hard at the landline on the kitchen wall. It was not the first night he’d shut himself in his room when his parents had come home, but it was one of the ones that stood out. 

He had thought it wouldn’t hurt like that again. After all, that was only four years after he’d said goodbye to Stan. Twenty three years later, it shouldn’t be as raw. That’s what he told himself anyway, staring at his reflection in the Uris’ bathroom mirror. 

“Pull yourself together,” he whispers, rolling his eyes. “You’re only this dramatic because you had a crush on him in high school. You’re an adult, and he’s one of your best friends, and Patty is...” 

He groans, scrubbing a hand over his face. Patty is many, many things. Lovely, beautiful, kind, a little bit wicked, the perfect match for Stanley, an instant favourite with all of them. Absolutely part of his current problem.

It all felt kind of high school. He had the Losers back, for one thing. The non stop bickering and name calling, having people who would just reach out and touch him, grab his shoulder or lead him somewhere by the hand or snuggle into his side on the couch, the constant background noise of love. Not to mention the furtive looks Ben kept throwing Bev’s way, even six months later and dating, or that when Mike had got up to go to the bathroom Eddie was yelling loudly to distract from the fact he was definitely halfway into Richie’s lap. It was all very high school, really. 

So was the way Mike’s stomach flipped every time it was Stan who touched him. The way he had come over tongue tied and stupid when Stan called him Mikey at dinner. He hadn’t been able to look away when Bev shocked a real laugh out of Stan, catching him unawares before he could turn it into a controlled chuckle. And even more ridiculous and high school than that, Patty had caught him staring and winked, smiling at Mike like they were in on some secret. Some ‘Stan is really cute when he laughs’ secret. 

It had been like that all week. Since Mike arrived a few days early for their newly instated, completely mandatory All Losers in One Spot twice yearly catch up. Patty had pulled him inside, fingers laced through his, beaming as she regaled him with a story about Stan and their neighbour’s dog, while Stan smiled fondly at them both from where he was making dinner, adding dry asides as he seasoned the beans, attempting to cover up snorts of laughter by tapping the spoon loudly on the side of the saucepan.

Stan’s hair had grown out since Derry. His curls fell into his face and below his collar, there was some scruff on his cheeks. _Beautiful_ , Mike had thought. _He looks beautiful._

Patty had made them cocktails, and asked him probing questions about where he planned on going next and whether he might consider making Atlanta a home base, “just for organisational purposes, mail and storage, that sort of thing. And also because we want to see you as often as possible.”

Stan had smiled at him softly then. “We love having you around, Mike.”

It was so warm in their house, in their kitchen, on their couch. Stan tucked into his side, Patty in the other corner, her feet stretched out across both of their laps. It felt like home, in a way no place has since he lived with his parents, since he had the Losers the first time. Mike had fallen asleep like that, the first night. Stirred slightly at the brush of lips on his forehead and the feeling of a blanket being tucked around him. It was one of the best nights of sleep he’d had in twenty three years and it had been on a couch. 

Mike had been preparing himself to see the Losers again for years, knowing it would be a shock to his system. A chaotic mess of limbs and love. He’d been preparing himself to be confronted with feelings he’d never quite convinced himself were gone. But he had not known he needed to prepare himself for Patty. For Stan and Patty together.

For the other Losers to catch him watching Stan and Patty together. Patty in Stan’s lap on the floor whispering something in his ear that had him blushing, his eyebrows disappearing beneath his curls. Then they’d both turned to look at him and caught him looking back. 

Which led to him hiding in the bathroom, splashing water on his face and feeling more than a little bit foolish. 

Then comes a knock at the door. Mike watches the shock and embarrassment flit across his face before he lands on another eye roll. 

“Yeah?”

Best case scenario, it’s Ben or Eddie needing the bathroom. Neither of them will push him to talk about why he’s been gone for so long if he doesn’t initiate, although a kind smile from Ben or a concerned frown from Eddie are likely to convince him to start talking anyway. Less than favourable scenario, Bill attempts to ask him what’s wrong without actually asking the question, or either Richie or Bev come at it head on, because while both of them have heard of tact, it’s something they leave for other people to use, like it’s a finite resource they don’t want to use up. 

Worst case scenario, though. 

“Mike, you okay in there?” It’s Stan, because of course it is. 

“Yeah, man. I’m good.” Mike runs the tap again, like that’ll help him sell the ruse, before drying his hands and opening the door. 

Stan is hovering in the corridor, anxiety sitting in the tight line of his shoulders, tucked in the corners of his eyes. Mike hates that he might be the reason for it, hates that there is any reason for it. 

“I’m sorry if we made you … ”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to … ”

They both stop at the same time, gesturing for the other to continue, which only makes them chuckle until they’re standing in almost awkward silence. Stan worries his lip and Mike has to squash the urge to reach out to stop him. _What are you going to do, put your fingers on his mouth? Pull yourself together._

Stan reaches out to lay his hand on Mike’s arm. “Normally, I’d say you should go first. But I have a feeling I know what you’re going to say, and I’d rather nip any apologies from you in the bud, if that’s okay?”

Mike looks down at the hand on his arm. Stan’s thumb rubs back and forth. It’s meant to be soothing, their skin isn’t even touching, but it makes Mike’s knees feel like jelly. He can feel the goosebumps, hidden beneath his jumper. He swallows. Nods for Stan to continue, to tell him that he’s welcome at their house whenever he wants, they love him, but not like that. He and Patty will be so gracious about it, it won’t even feel like ripping off a bandaid. They won’t even ask Mike to leave, to crash in Bill’s hotel room. They’ll—

“Patty and I, we didn’t mean to do anything, _say_ anything, tonight. We don’t want to make you uncomfortable, and we really didn’t want to do this in front of everyone. But, well, Richie mixes really strong Espresso Martinis and Mike.” Mike looks up from his arm to see Stan staring at him like. Like. Like he _wants_ him. “You look really fucking good tonight. You look good every night. But it’s not … I’m getting ahead of myself.” 

Mike is struggling to wrap his head around the sudden change in conversational direction, but it doesn’t seem to matter because Stan’s not done. 

“Having you here, in our home. Patty and I talked about it while you were travelling. Inviting you to stay. You’d send photos to the groupchat, and you’d be smiling so big, you looked so happy. I wanted to be with you, I wanted you to be with us. But you looked so happy to be free of Derry, and watching you like that, free and happy, it felt selfish to ask you to put down roots again. And listening to you talk about the places you were exploring, getting your postcards and reading all these thoughts you were having sitting on park benches and in bars and in your car, as you made your way across the country. It made me feel the way I feel when Patty sits up on the kitchen counter when she comes home from work and narrates her day while I peel the carrots, you know?”

He looks at Mike so earnestly, his fingers tight around his wrist. Mike doesn’t really know, but he thinks he knows something similar. It’s right there, the feeling taking shape in his head, he just has to reach out and take it. He nods. 

Stan’s whole body, held stiff, made small with tension, expands with relief. He’s smiling so hopefully, and Mike’s world is still shifting on its axis. “Oh thank fuck, because I really didn’t think that was particularly coherent.” 

Mike snorts. “It wasn’t.”

“He was never particularly coherent when he was attempting to woo me, either. If that’s any consolation,” Patty says, appearing behind Stan. Mike can’t believe she hasn’t been here all along. She’s smiling at them, eyes bright and teasing and Mike thinks _beautiful_ again. _Lovely and a little bit wicked_.

Stan reaches back with his spare hand, tugs her in so she’s pressed up against his back, her arms wrapped around his waist, her chin resting on his shoulder. It doesn’t hurt, seeing them like this, close and looking up at him like they want him here too. 

“The others have gone back to the hotel,” she says, and Mike lets himself hear everything she means. Lets himself smile down at them both. Reaches out. 

Stan reaches back first. Mike bends down and Stan meets him part way, his hand moving up until it’s cupping Mike’s cheek, pulling him into a kiss. 

Stan sighs into it, and Mike wants to smile but he also never wants this to end. He presses closer. Stan tilts his head, shifts his grip on Mike’s face, deepening the kiss. He feels it like a spark when Patty runs her hand up his arm, smoothes her hand across his other cheek. He hears her press a kiss to Stan’s neck. It’s so warm here, caught up in both of them. 

Stan kissing is like Stan doing anything else, thorough and focused and determined to do it right. Mike can tell he’s testing things, tongue and teeth and pressure, seeing what makes Mike sigh, what makes him groan, what makes his knees wobble. Patty talks the whole time, whispers _you look so good together baby. Oh Mike, do that again, he likes that. Oh my loves, what am I going to do with the two of you._ When Stan runs his tongue over Mike’s bottom lip, Mike grips his hip hard, holding on tight, and Stan huffs a breath of a laugh. 

He pulls back a little, just enough to look Mike in the eye. They’re both grinning. 

Stan darts back in, pressing soft, barely there kisses to Mike’s jaw, his chin, his cheek. 

Then Patty says, “my turn”, sly grin on her face, and Stan sighs, put upon and almost pouting.

“Babylove, I’ve only just got started.”

“We have all night,” she laughs at him, shifting him out of the way. When she turns to face Mike though, she looks serious. “We have as long as you’ll give us, really. As long as you’ll have us.”

He takes a moment, just a moment, to breathe and watch them. To feel it all, the enormity of it. They want him. They want him to stay, Mike knows they wouldn’t risk this, risk _him_ , for anything less than something serious. He’s not sure he’s quite ready to promise forever. At least not out loud. But he knows that’s what he’ll give them, in the end. 

“As long as you want me,” he says, and they both beam at him, like he’s given them something precious. 

Patty stretches up onto the tips of her toes, throws her arms around his neck to drag him down. He laughs, wrapping an arm around her waist to draw her up and closer. Then, he let’s the warm, steady pressure of Stan’s hands on his hips guide him to their bedroom. 

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> you can come and talk to me about any and every loser @ manycoloureddays on tumblr or bvrlybrks on twitter


End file.
